Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to text messages and app interactions: Startup Instinct and Meta’s new voice assistant Muse can now place phone calls autonomously on behalf of users. The feature is designed to handle tasks that cannot be automated via websites or APIs—such as booking dinner reservations by phone or querying service providers.
Booking Appointments and Inquiries via Voice AI
San Francisco-based startup Instinct is introducing its calling feature under the name “Instinct Concierge.” The service is currently available in early access, with plans to roll it out to all users later. The agent is designed to call restaurants lacking online booking systems, secure spots on waiting lists at doctor’s offices, or clarify billing issues with cable providers. Instinct originally launched as a purely text-based assistant for shopping, travel bookings, and subscription cancellations.
Meta is also following suit: Its recently introduced personal AI assistant Meta Muse can now phone US businesses as well. For now, users must explicitly instruct the assistant to make the call. Under the hood, Muse is powered by the Muse Spark language model and processes payments via one-time cards through Stripe Link.
Availability and Business Models
There are currently several limitations regarding access and regional availability:
- Instinct: The system is currently invite-only and reportedly has over 100,000 users. For now, calls can be made within the United States. Founder Noah Shinn currently plans no direct user fees, eyeing ads as a potential revenue stream instead.
- Meta Muse: The service is currently available exclusively in the US across iOS, Android, and the web. Along with a free basic tier, paid subscriptions are available for $20 and $100 per month. Actions like payments or sending emails still require manual user approval.
Early Backlash and Open Risks
Software programs autonomously phoning service providers and restaurants are not being welcomed everywhere. Some platforms are already pushing back: Reservation platform Resy is now banning profiles of users who book reservations using automated bots.
Automated voice calls also raise serious concerns regarding spam, privacy, and misuse. A persistent technical risk is hallucinations—scenarios where the language model provides false details or agrees to misleading terms during a phone call. Furthermore, these systems require extensive permissions: To operate at full capacity, Meta Muse requests access to calendars, contacts, banking and credit card details, cloud storage, as well as email and shopping accounts.
While these calls are currently limited to the US and Meta Muse is available only there, users should remain cautious about the permissions they grant to emerging AI agents on their devices.
Sources: Borncity.com
